wondering what the draft on my 86 prostar is? a guy with a 232 rinker I/O says that inboards have a larger draw than I/O's do. he said his is about 30" and that mine is about 36" the way i have it measured from the water line to the bottom of the rudder measures about 28"........just curious as we are installing a depth finder and want to know what shallow alarm setting is safe. the lake we are in gets to 2.5 in a lot of spots on the points. thanks- jim

tph

08-21-2004, 08:23 PM

The spec sheet for both the '84 and '85 shows 28" amidship. I think the only difference in the '86 hull is the area behind the powerslot indentation. So, the draft is probably the same.

Bert

08-21-2004, 08:49 PM

Can any one explain exactly what that means? If the draft is 28" then what depth do I need to safely move along at idle speed vs starting out with a skier?

JimN

08-21-2004, 09:12 PM

I don't think I have ever seen a sterndrive with a particularly flat bottom, and because of that, the draft is usually deeper than a comparable sized direct drive. If the direct drive is a deep V, the draft increases, though. Most of the sales info I have seen from ski boat makers touted the fact that the draft is less than a sterndrive.

Re: the depth finder's alarm, set it for the depth that you feel comfortable with. Leave yourself a margin of safety, too. You can't stop on a dime, the bottom isn't totally smooth and the depth gauge won't react instantaneously. Also remember that the boat settles deeper into the water when you decrease throttle to the point that you have no thrust.

sledhead800

08-21-2004, 09:16 PM

thanks guys........... i have been told that the draft is the depth the boat rides in the water from prop/rudder to the water line.